Somalia’s Jubaland cuts ties with central government

By Mohamed Dhaysane

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AA) - Somalia’s southern state of Jubaland on Thursday announced that it has severed ties with the federal government.

The announcement came after regional Cabinet ministers held a meeting in Kismayo, the administrative capital of Jubaland.

The regional state, which has long been at odds with the federal government, accused Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of power abuse and violating the constitution. Jubaland declared that it would not recognize the constitutional amendments and election reforms passed by both houses of the Somali parliament earlier this year.

“The Jubaland Government has a constitutional obligation to protect, preserve, and promote the unity and solidarity of its people,” said a statement issued after the meeting.

It called for prioritizing peace and working “towards saving the fragile statehood and state-building process.”

This announcement comes a day after a court in Somalia's capital Mogadishu issued an arrest warrant for Jubaland President Ahmed Mohamed Islam, also known as Ahmed Madobe.

The warrant accused Madobe of posing a threat to Somalia’s unity.

On Saturday, Somalia's parliament passed a bill on election reforms, moving to universal suffrage after decades of a clan-based voting system – changes that have been rejected by both Jubaland and Puntland.